South Asia (General)

Imminence of War: War seems imminent in South Asia going by current indicators. Short of a formal declaration of war, India seems determined and poised to take on directly by the horns, the strategic and military provocations thrown against her by Pakistan.

The strong and “all weather” friendship between China and Pakistan is well known. A third dimension to this relationship is being discerned with the active participation of Myanmar, which had strong ties independently with China ever since the Army in Myanmar took over the government. This developing triangular relationship needs to be watched by the Indian security analysts.

China extended its borders to South Asia with the forcible military occupation of Tibet in late 1950. China’s military annexation of Tibet was facilitated by two factors: (1) United States military pre-occupation with the war in Korea, and (2) India’s policies of strategic neglect of India’s national security interests and Nehru's blind obsession for China’s friendship.

China’s Single Point Agenda in South Asia: Historical review of China’s policy record in South Asia indicates that China has followed a single point agenda in the last 50 years or so. China intruded into South Asia in 1950 itself by its military occupation of Tibet which was facilitated by the United States and the West’s pre-occupation with the Korean War.